87-Year-Old Accused of Growing Hundreds of Marijuana Plants

Hemera/Thinkstock(DENVER) — Edward Bogunovich, 87, is accused of growing more than 400 marijuana plants in the backyard of his Denver home.

Bogunovich faces charges that include cultivating marijuana in excess of 30 plants, and possessing more than 12 ounces of marijuana with intent to distribute more than 100 pounds of marijuana, according to a spokeswoman for the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

Denver Police Detective Christopher Shotts said in an arrest affidavit obtained by ABC News that Bogunovich presented police with “questionable” state medical marijuana documents that provided for 231 marijuana plants between him and two others who were also growing plants in his backyard.

Bogunovich was growing 183 more plants than he was allowed, Shotts said in the affidavit. Police seized the plants, which weighed a combined 461 pounds.

Reached by phone Monday morning, Bogunovich denied to ABC News all the charges against him.

“I didn’t even have a pipe,” he said. “I’ve got zero plants, and I have papers to prove it.”

In a second interview later on Monday, Bogunovich told ABC News that there were hundreds of marijuana plants growing in his backyard, but said they were not his plants. The day before Denver police raided his home, he said he had divested ownership of his plants, adding that he had a notarized document to prove it.

Bogunovich was released from the Denver Detention Center on a $10,000 bond and is due back in court Thursday, according to ABC’s Denver affiliate KMGH.